Thu, Feb 09 2012

EC 'flexible' on Ispa deadlines extension - report

Sat, Feb 27 2010 15:08 CET

byThe Sofia Echo staff

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EC 'flexible' on Ispa deadlines extension - report

 
Photo: Nadezdha Chipeva

The European Commission would approach a flexible approach towards deadlines for the utilisation of pre-accession aid funds under the Ispa programme, Bulgarian National Radio said on February 27, quoting Ton van Lierop, spokesperson to regional development commissioner Johannes Hahn.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov and his Romanian counterpart, Emil Boc, said that they planned to make the request to the European Commission after visiting the construction site of Danube Bridge 2, between Vidin in Bulgaria and Calafat in Romania, on February 26.

The bridge was initially scheduled to be completed by the end of 2010, meeting the deadline for the utilisation of Ispa funds awarded during the 2000/06 budget cycle.

Numerous delays, caused by the geological conditions and Romanian authorities' protracted procedures for granting approvals for access to land required for the project, however, have pushed the completion date to 2011.

The EC could extend the deadlines on some Ispa funds to 2011 and even 2012, especially in the case of large-scale projects, such as Danube Bridge 2, BNR quoted Van Lierop as saying.

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